A power MOSFET is a specific type of metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) designed to handle significant power levels. Compared to the other power semiconductor devices, for example insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), its main advantages are high commutation speed and good efficiency at low voltages.
Power MOSFETs were made possible by the evolution of CMOS technology, developed for manufacturing integrated circuits in the late 1970s. The power MOSFET shares its operating principle with its low-power counterpart, the lateral MOSFET.
The power MOSFET is perhaps the most widely used low-voltage (e.g., less than 200 V) switch. It can be found in many power supplies, DC to DC converters, and motor controllers.